Michael Appelgate: Hope basketball is the team to beat in MIAA

The bleachers violently shook back and forth. Media members grabbed their papers and laptops trying to weather the storm that was Hope College's fabled student section.

The Dew Crew was rocking the seats at Van Noord Arena during a timeout in the first half of Saturday’s men's basketball game against Calvin College. It’s a traditional fan exercise, one that incites laughter and awe from all those in the arena.

While those fans clad in orange shook up the area behind the Flying Dutchmen bench, there was a similar shakeup happening on the hardcourt in front of them.

The Hope men’s basketball team shot its way to a 71-63 win in its second Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association win. With the victory, Hope moved into sole possession of first place early in the conference season.

It’s undoubtedly a statement win for the young Flying Dutchmen, who led the Knights by as many as 16 during the game. Hope was picked to finish second in the MIAA preseason poll with Calvin in first.

"It was a big confidence booster just to beat Calvin here this week," Flying Dutchmen center Nate VanArendonk said after Saturday’s win. "Every team is going to be gunning for Hope, and this will get the ball rolling. … This is a big win for us."

It was also a big game for VanArendonk, one of four seniors on the team. He was 6-for-7 from the field for 14 points, pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and put together possibly the finest game in his collegiate career.

VanArendonk started both halves with two-handed dunks to ignite the Hope crowd and bench. He’s averaging 10 points per game and shooting 69.4 percent from the field. A 6-foot-10 forward, VanArendonk is third on the team in shot attempts (85), but is tied for the team lead in made baskets (59).

"He can be a dominant player and we’re counting on him being that this season, and we need him to be," Flying Dutchmen coach Matt Neil said.

VanArendonk is also a key on the defensive end. He along with 6-foot-8 forward Brock Benson each tallied one block against the Knights, and in the first MIAA game against Trine (Ind.), they had a combined four.

Calvin entered Saturday’s game shooting 50.4 percent from the field. Hope held the Knights — once ranked No. 9 by d3hoops.com — to 33.3 percent.

"This was the first game where I think we communicated the entire time," VanArendonk said. "Talking is the key to being good on defense and all-around — on the bench, on the court, everyone — we were jumping screens and it was good team defense."

Page 2 of 2 - There’s a balance developing with the Flying Dutchmen, both offensively and defensively. A sometimes prolific perimeter shooting-game is backed up by a reliable post presence, and the defense is starting to learn how to play a full 40 minutes.

"Our focus has been pretty good about playing against our rival, and the other thing was our focus has been on the next game every time," Neil said. "They aren’t looking by anyone, they’re looking at the very next game."

There are no MIAA teams ranked in d3hoops.com’s top 25. With Hope defeating possibly its biggest obstacle to the MIAA title, the Flying Dutchmen are now the team to beat.